One Family's Sustainable Farming Experiences in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, USA

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Christmas is Coming

The first week of December I went to Family Dollar and bought everything I needed for Christmas baking. I baked and baked and baked. Ed helped me; he loves sampling! (Lara preferred to listen to the cooks on tv instead.)

Wouldn't you know it, when I got home from taking my ham radio exam I went to the freezer to get me a piece of shortbread to celebrate my passing the exam with and found every last piece of shortbread in that freezer gone! And the empty bags were left in the freezer with their crumbs. I couldn't believe it! The gnome who lives in the chicken coop must have gotten hungry and sneaked into the house while I was gone . . . . The oatmeal cookies and kolackys are about done for, too.

Good thing dark pfeffernuesse takes a week to make. (I use the recipe in the Meta Givens Cooking Encyclopedia -- best cookbooks EVER!) I finished it on Sunday afternoon and dutifully put it in the freezer. And I always leave the Christmas morning cinnamon sticky buns till last to bake.

Here's a picture of the gingerbread house I built this year with Ed. The store manager at Family Dollar where I bought the candies for decorating the house wants a picture of it to send to corporate.

As I am in "food mode", I decided to try making some preserved lemons from the wonderful Nourished Kitchen web site. I found a neat old Atlas canning jar and was able to put 8 pounds of lemons in it. I can't wait to try them. The kitchen smelled so good while I was tamping them down in the jar.

Preparing lemons to preserve in salt

Fermenting lemons in antique Atlas canning jar

Our family has always been big on gathering around the table for occasions of all kinds. Food is a great medium for communing with people. One of the things I've noticed this year is that most of the gifts I bought for people this year was food of some kind. Maybe subconsciously I'm equating food with comfort. There are so many people all over the world who desperately need comfort in these awful times. As you take care of your family this Christmas season, please also remember others less fortunate than you both in your words and in your deeds.

Translator

Rebuild America -- Buy American

Swamp Creek

About Our Farm

Swamp Creek Farm is part of my family's Homestead Act farm. My family has been farming this land since 1892. We are located near the Turtle Flambeau Flowage in the beautiful Heritage Area of Iron County, Wisconsin. We care what you eat and grow what we sell. Our heirloom or open pollinated produce is sustainably grown and available in season. When we have them, we also sell chickens and eggs from our flock of Dominique chickens. We are working on building our infrastructure and developing a diverse fruit and nut orchard; we are "into" permaculture! We sell from our farm and at local farmers markets only. We do not give tours at this time.